Prodijig dancing their way to Birmingham stage

THE IRISH dancing choreographer billed as the Michael Flatley of his generation will be bringing his fellow star dancers along as they complete the Birmingham leg of their national tour.

It will be the first time Midlands fans have had the chance to see the completely new show which has been thought up by Prodijig leader Alan Kenefick and is described as a love story set between two worlds.

The group - who all previously danced in Riverdance - found fame after winning talent show Got To Dance earlier this year, having wowed judges Kimberly Wyatt, Ashley Banjo and Adam Garcia with their unique style - which sees them dance to modern music including Chris Brown and Kanye West and, unlike traditional Irish dancing, using their arms.

Since the show aired, they have been invited to perform around the world in front of dignitaries such as the Queen and the President of Ireland, working with celebrities including Mariah Carey and Westlife.

The original seven dancers, who have all won major international championships, has now expanded to a group of almost 20 who will take to the biggest stages across the UK for the tour.

Speaking to the Standard, Alan said the show was a 'whole new style' for them and had involved rehearsing for months to perfect the moves which are backed by original orchestral music created just for Prodijig.

"We are doing something with Irish dancing which has never been done before. We use our arms so we can really express ourselves.

"We can't wait to open up the show and can't wait for everyone to see how much detail there is in there and how far we have come. On Got To Dance they saw one and a half minutes, here they will have one and a half hours of the dancing.

"I want it to be like watching a movie unfolding in front of you. I'd like the show to really be a moment in time for Irish dancing and hopefully it will stay around and not just be a one-time thing. Hopefully it will expand as it goes on."

Speaking about the comparisons with Michael Flatley, Alan added: "It is humbling and incredible because he is the only superstar of Irish dance ever. I'm hoping what we do is completely different with original choreography but for anyone to compare me to him is amazing."

Tickets are now available for the Footstorm show, which will appear at Birmingham Symphony Hall on Tuesday, April 14 2013.